Search and rescue crews normally have to deal with human rescues, but our four-legged friends sometimes need help too.
That was exactly the case on Sunday, when Montrose Search and Rescue responded to a call of a dog in distress near Strawberry Peak, located in the San Gabriel Mountains about two-and-a-half miles from Redbox Canyon.
“Lulu, a medium-sized dog, had become overheated and was unable to continue on her own,” the rescue agency said in a social media post.
Montrose S&R, along with help from the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team, hiked in, gave Lulu water and gently poured some over her head and body to help her cool down. Once stablized, she was given a lift down the mountain in a wheeled litter and taken to safety.
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Montrose Search and Rescue responded to a call of a dog in distress near Strawberry Peak, located in the San Gabriel Mountains about two-and-a-half miles from Redbox Canyon, on May 25, 2025. (X/@MontroseSAR) -
Montrose Search and Rescue responded to a call of a dog in distress near Strawberry Peak, located in the San Gabriel Mountains about two-and-a-half miles from Redbox Canyon, on May 25, 2025. (X/@MontroseSAR)
Rescue officials reminded dog owners not to take their pooches on trails during warm weather, including “days that feel ‘moderate.’”
“Dogs can’t cool themselves the way we do, and their paws are vulnerable to burns from hot trail surfaces,” crews said.
That advice should especially be heeded this week as record high temperatures make their way into the SoCal region.
Strawberry Peak Trail is a seven-mile trail near Mount Wilson and is “generally considered a challenging route,” according to trail map service AllTrails, which also noted that dogs are welcomed on the trail, but they must be leashed.
